A family who was being evicted called 211 for support to find permanent housing. The emergency housing system did not have a location that would allow their children to continue attending school. 211 Navigators helped advocate for a place for them to stay temporarily, then 211 worked with the emergency housing system which set up a new place in a location that hadn’t had emergency housing before. For two months 211 Navigators worked with other providers to advocate for permanent housing for the family and helped connect them to discretionary funds and transportation options.

A senior with a disability who relied on his scooter could not use the public transportation for people with a disability because his scooter did not have a seatbelt, which is a requirement. This senior had an important medical appointment coming up which he needed to get to and no way to get out the house to shop for a seatbelt which would also need to be installed. 211 Community Navigators called several local businesses explaining the situation. One company was sympathetic and offered to bring the senior to their store to pick out the seatbelt and then deliver and install it which gave the senior the ability to use public transit.

A caregiver looking after two seniors was feeling overwhelmed and worried about losing her job because she had to take so much time off to take them to medical appointments. The 211 Navigator referred them to a counselling service for caregivers and explained and referred her to senior ride programs that drive and accompany seniors to medical appointments and social outings. Upon follow up with the caller, she expressed that the 211 service changed her life and was extremely grateful for the assistance.

A new immigrant is living with a woman who had sponsored him but had now become violent and was demanding he “pay back” his debt for sponsoring him. He was still searching for stable work and did not have a support network. He provided a way for 211 to contact him that the abusive partner did not know about. The 211 Specialist connected him with Victim’s Services and provided information on settlement services locally. The police also accompanied him to where he had been living to retrieve his belongings. His sponsor continued to harass him so 211 also referred him to a legal clinic to obtain advice and agencies that might be able to help him if he decided to relocate to another city. The caller sent an email thanking her for helping him find services to better his situation.

A caregiver of a senior calls 211 on his behalf. The senior has to move from his rented basement apartment because his home health care workers refuse to enter the home as the homeowners have two large dogs. The senior had been refused for subsidized housing but was told he could appeal if he wanted. He was told to apply for a place in a long-term care home instead. 211 explains to the caregiver the process for accessing long-term care spaces for her brother through the Local Health Integration Network. The 211 Navigator also worked with the caregiver to outline some of the key information that could be included in the appeal letter.

A grandmother on a fixed income called 211 on behalf of her daughter who works full-time at a minimum wage job and is struggling using the food bank at the end of the month and keeping up with the bills. She knows her daughter would like to put her children in recreational programs in September but can’t afford it. The 211 Specialist provided information on and the application process for a program to help low income families with recreation expenses. 211 also explained the types of programs that exist to help reduce utility bills and energy conservation programs for low-income families. The 211 Specialist explained how the Ontario Electricity Support Program reduces the monthly electricity costs for lower-income household. The grandmother was grateful to learn there was help available for her daughter.